


Let these vines unravel

by aspiringTwiceFan (itotoro)



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Historical, Burns, F/F, Freeform, Minor Character Death, NINNA DONT READ, P - Freeform, Read the comments, Reincarnation, Sto, im only adding tags after I finish the fic, it's drama, stay away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 14,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22180681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itotoro/pseuds/aspiringTwiceFan
Summary: Nayeon, the goddess of love, angers the gods and is cursed to roam the earth. Now living as the CEO of a multimillion won company, she once again crosses paths with the temple maiden who started it all.Immortal and mortal star crossed lovers AU!NINNA STAY. AWAY>
Relationships: Im Nayeon/Yoo Jeongyeon
Comments: 52
Kudos: 94





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Once again publishing at an alarming pace because I don't want my fanfic babies to disappear! Comments and constructive criticism are welcome as always!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NINNA
> 
> NINNA STOP

" _For the sin you have done to my temple, you shall never find love again!_ "

Hands outstretched, glowing golden.

" _For you are a goddess of love, you will now experice the pain you inflict on mortals. As an immortal, you will roam the earth forever, cursed to love only mortals_ "

A singing pain on her skin. Strength leaving.

" _I curse you never to be able to hold one in your arms. You can no longer tempt as you have tempted._ "

The ground trembling, a ravine opening beneath her feet.

" _For as long as you are a goddess, you shall be cursed to loneliness. I banish you from the heavens._ "

The goddess of love drops into the ravine, falling into the earth. The earth becomes sky, and Nayeon falls as a shooting star on mortal soil.


	2. The curse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nayeon meets a familiar face.

Nayeon is bored.

She sits in her black office chair, at her dark wood desk on the top floor of the biggest fashion conglomerate of Korea. The office is mostly barren except for black leather chairs for guests, black and white abstract paintings, a monochrome carpet, and an empty glass cabinet with only a handful of files. The only points of color in her room are two clay jars filled with water, kept beside the wide glass wall behind her desk. 

In her black and white office, the color of Nayeon herself speaks volumes. Her pleasant face clashes with her black and white suit, the juxtaposition creating a commanding presence. The light of the morning sun is soft on her skin as it illuminates the room. 

Nayeon specifically planned for her office to be this way, so that any person who entered the office would immediately know that she was in control before she says a single word.

Well, nobody was going to enter today.

Nayeon sits in her office chair, her brown hair down in soft waves. She is scrolling through her phone for latest fashion trends, showbusiness news, and any emails concerning the Yeosin Fashion Frontier. At this time of the day most people are having breakfast, but Nayeon did not need to eat.

Instead, she stands up from her chair to pick up a tea cup from her glass cabinet. She dips her cup in one of the clay jars, and takes a sip from the filled cup. She takes a saucer from the cabinet and brings both to her table.

Time to study some business trends.

"Nayeon-nim." The voice at the door is Momo's, her personal assistant.  
"Come in."

Momo enters. She wears a black suit, hair tied in a down ponytail. The japanese-style cut of her bangs frame her angular face well. Her upright posture is both graceful and commanding. "I'm here to both inform you that the manager of the girl group ITZY is here. We have a scheduled shoot and interview for them tomorrow at 2PM." Nayeon does not look up from her phone. "Send him in."

The walls of Nayeon's mind are brick and mortar, forged by millenia of trials and tribulation. She has kept her heart closed long enough to establish her wealth and enterprise. To never feel the pain of her curse again.

The walls come crashing down at the sight of the woman at the door.

Nayeon is frozen in her seat as the manager enters her room. The intimidating effect of her office is lost, she knows, because her mouth is open in shock.

"The gods, is it you?" Nayeon stands up, approaching the manager. Despite the ill-fitting blazer and the bowl cut, the face matches perfectly the image burned in the back of her mind. From what she can tell, even the soul is the same.

This manager is the perfect reincarnation of the temple maiden.

Nayeon doesn't realize that she is reaching towards the face of the manager until Momo grabs her wrist. The personal assistant clears her throat. "Nayeon-nim. This is Yoo Jeongyeon, the manager of ITZY."

Even the name was a match.

Jeongyeon steps back and bows deeply, to which Nayeon responds in kind. They stare at each other in silence, Nayeon lost in Jeongyeon's eyes. She feels the tattoos on her arms begin to tingle.

"I apologize for my behavior. Can I meet you after an hour? I am unwell." Nayeon speaks automatically, tone even despite the turbulent emotions in her chest. Before Jeongyeon can say anything, Momo ushers her out of the room. The door is closed promptly.

Momo holds Nayeon by the shoulders, gently shaking her. "Did your curse happen again?" she asks. 

All Nayeon can do is nod before she cries in Momo's arms.

....... 

The door is slammed in Jeongyeon's face. If it happened to her any other day, she would have reported the incident to her boss. Maybe even give a lecture about respect and punctuality.

But from the moment her eyes met those of the CEO of Yeosin Fashion Frontier, an ache gripped her chest.

Even now, it was difficult to breathe. Jeongyeon leans on the wall for support as she headed to the nearest restroom. A hot pain burning over her heart.

........

"Nayeon-nim, as we speak Yoo Jeongyeon may be having your mark etched onto her heart." Momo speaks to Nayeon while the latter is blowing through a box of tissues. She has always been a heavy crier. "You have to explain to her what is going on."

Nayeon looks at Momo through red eyes. "How well did that go for you, idiot? You are here now because of all the explaining I did." She smiles tiredly. "I just have to cast an illusion over her eyes like I did with the rest of them." The rest of the mortals she cursed.

Momo can only respond with a sad smile of her own. "I, more than anyone, know how much it hurts for you."

.........

Jeongyeon's dress shirt is half-open as she stands in front of the mirror of the restroom. Anyone could enter at any moment, but Jeongyeon doesn't care. 

There it was, a pair of vines entwined over her heart. Just as she saw in the visions that entered her mind at the sight of the CEO. 

Except that these vines are thorned

Jeongyeon quickly closes the buttons her dress shirt and washes her face. Deep, still breaths.

As quickly as the flood arrives, it disappears. Jeongyeon can feel the thoughts dissipate, as if returning to a faraway corner of her memory. She grasps at the image of the vines before it too could float away.

The pain in her chest recedes.

......

Nayeon is calmer now, seated in her office chair. With her age, incidents like this happen enough times for her to get used to the sinking feeling. Here is another woman she has to love from afar. Simple as that.

"You haven't fallen in love for centuries, Nayeon-nim. What happened?" Momo, as always, is gentle. She rubs circles into Nayeon's back.

"She is the temple maiden. From when I was first cursed to roam the earth."

Momo stops for a moment, then contiues to rub circles on Nayeon's back. "No wonder. She is just as beautiful as you described."

Nayeon chuckles. "That bowl shaped haircut, surprisingly, looks good on her. Though I did prefer her with braids." Nayeon turns to Momo, looking upwards. "Do you think Tzuyu-nim knows? Do you think she sent Jeongyeon here after all this time to spite me? Or is this another trap by her mother?"

Momo's jaw tightens at the mention of Tzuyu's mother. "We will hear from Tzuyu-nim soon if that is the case. I would rather it be her than Omo-nim, if that is any comfort." The personal assistant walks toward the door. She turns before leaving. "I will look for Jeongyeon, if she is still in the building. Be ready to meet her.

As the door shuts, Nayeon gets the sense that many destinies were about to unravel. She pulls up the sleeves of her suit to check her wrists. Thorny vines continue to writhe, agitated just like her spirit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyy you made it to the notes! 
> 
> This was inspired by an otp prompt generator where Nayeon was an immortal and Jeongyeon was mortal. Inspiration comes from the weirdest things.
> 
> This is probably going to have a lot of drama because mixing divine and human is always dramatic. Stay along for the ride, I'll try not to disappoint!
> 
> Please, please, give me comments on my writing and characterization!


	3. Interlude - The sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tzuyu awakens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, and future chapters, will be tagged as interludes depending on if they are from the past or in the present. I do this to intersperse details into the story in a nonlinear manner! Let me know what you think.

After millennia in slumber, Tzuyu, the goddess of the sea, opens her eyes. 

On this earth, once more, roams Jeong Yeon. 

I must visit the earth.

There are chains that bind Tzuyu, the ancient power of her own mother.

The heavy chains and the rocking of the waves lulled her to sleep.

However, this is different.

Jeong Yeon is alive.

The oceans rumble, storms surge. The earth tries to pull her further into the sea. 

Not this time, says Tzuyu.

For months, she struggles. Begs the god of lightning to break the chains, pleads to the god of war to give her strength.

All Tzuyu needed was a reason to keep trying.

After seventeen months, the chains break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and criticisms are welcome as always! Let me know what you think


	4. Love's Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongyeon sees visions that Nayeon wishes to erase

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I write interludes and chapters in pairs! Yay!
> 
> Here's to hoping I don't screw this concept up huhuhu let me know what you think!

Jeongyeon waits outside the door of the restroom, hand over her heart. The image of the vines tug at her, the presence of thorns disturb her. She tries to recall the visions that flooded her memory, but they elude her.

Momo, Im Nayeon's personal assistant, finds her. She bows in greeting. "Jeongyeon-ssi, Nayeon-nim is ready for you."

The door opens once more to Im Nayeon's office, stark in its design and color. The black and white patterns do nothing to detract the person for whom it was made.

Her gaze falls on the CEO's person, and their eyes meet. Ethereal beauty in motion. Im Nayeon's eyes set off a multitude of fireworks in Jeongyeon's mind.

It feels like seeing color for the first time. A fifth dimension of sense bombarding her, drawing her like a magnet towards the woman.

This is love, Jeongyeon thinks to herself. From where she learned that notion, she does not know. The vines over her heart feel warm, brought to life by the presence of Im Nayeon. 

The CEO speaks. "Please sit, Manager Yoo." They mirror each other, lounging on the chairs by the desk. Jeongyeon feels tension, as if an invisible string ties her to the CEO. It pulls taut at her spirit.

"Call me Nayeon. Despite the look of the office, I want you to feel at home here." The CEO, Nayeon, gestures to a stack of papers. A contract, which was what she came for in the first place. "This is the schedule of the shoot, as well as the interview questions for tomorrow" continues Nayeon, "please read this over." 

Nayeon nods at Momo, who then walks to the cabinet of the room. She fetches two teacups, filling them with water from the clay jars. Were the clay jars there a while ago? Jeongyeon's head spins. She clutches it with her right hand for support as she browses through the files. 

"Are you in good health?" Nayeon asks. Jeongyeon looks at her eyes, and they are so familiar to her. For a split second, Jeongyeon sees Nayeon, with flowers in her hair and a smile on her face. Then that vision leaves her.

Momo places two teacups on the desk. "Here," she begins, gesturing to the two cups. "This is water soaked in sunlight. Ancient history believes that this removes any evil spirits from the water, and can help alleviate pains in the body." Nayeon thanks Momo, then pulling a jar from her desk drawer. Purple leaves fill the jar to the brim.

Nayeon opens the jar and pulls out a leaf, dropping it into Jeongyeon's water. "This is imported mint." Jeongyeon watches as the purple of the mint bleeds into the water, creating a swirl. The leaf turns green, the water remains clear.

"If you are experiencing a headache now, this will help alleviate it." Nayeon drinks from her own cup, and Jeongyeon mirrors her. The water is sweet, like a kiss from long ago.

Jeongyeon's eyes throb, so does the skin over her heart, where the vines are. She excuses herself hurriedly, before Nayeon or Momo can stop her. She steps out of the room, measured steps taken to the restroom once more.

She hastily unbuttons her shirt. Just like that, the vines over her heart are gone. Jeongyeon touches her bare chest, wonders what it was that she drank. She feels as if a cage has been set in her mind, heavy like lead. Sleepy. Jeongyeon fumbles with the buttons of her shirt as she tries to close it.

"Jeongyeon-ssi" Momo calls from the doorway. Jeongyeon tries toward the voice, but her vision blurs. Knees weak, she falls to the floor, hands landing on the cool marble. She hears a gasp, then feels someone grasp her by the shoulders.

"The vines, where are the vines?" she asks feebly before she faints. 

.........

Nayeon fidgets as she waits for Momo to return. She seals the jar of Love's Kiss before placing it back in her drawer. She sips her water.

Jeongyeon must feel faint, the spell to lock her vision will take a toll on her mind and body. 

Momo returns, carrying the manager in her arms like a bride. Jeongyeon is slump, her head by the crook of Momo's neck, one arm dangling lifeless. The buttons of her shirt are open, revealing cleavage. Nayeon sees the vines, two of them entwined over the manager's heart. 

Momo sets Jeongyeon down on one of the lounge chairs. The sleeping woman falls over to the side, and Momo moves to close the buttons of her dress shirt. 

Nayeon's tattoos tingle as her fingertips long for the feel of Jeongyeon's skin. 

"She saw the vines, Nayeon-nim. She saw them before you gave her your kiss. The illusion won't hold." Momo then turns to her, face severe. She walks towards Nayeon. "She will look for them."

Fear grips Nayeon's chest. She gazes at the sleeping woman, following the details of her face. "Nayeon-nim," Momo gently holds Nayeon's hand, "we should explain what happened." The gentle rub of Momo's thumb over her skin reassures Nayeon, but her memories do not let her relax. 

The tattoos on her body are warm at the presence of Jeongyeon.

Nayeon shakes her head violently. "Send her back to her home, use my magic. We can make her think that this is all a dream." She pulls her hand away from Momo's, then opens her drawer once more. She pulls out two leaves, crushing them in her palms. She opens her palm, sorting the leaves out with her thumb. With careful precision, she dips a finger into the teacup, then into the pulp, mixing to form a paste. "Here," she beckons to Momo, "give me your palm."

She draws Chinese characters on Momo's palm, the paste from the leaves absorbed into her skin. Navigation. Transport. "We must spare her from having to live a life shackled to me." Finishing, Nayeon then caresses Momo's face. Momo sinks into the touch. Eyes closed, Momo speaks. "What if she was sent here by Omo-nim for that purpose?"

Nayeon places her hand down, eyes stern with resolve. "Even then, I will not let Omo-nim hurt her again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I wrote this messily, but let me know how I did! I'm excited for where I will take this story.


	5. Interlude - Mina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nayeon continues to roam the earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This *may* be weird because there is some implied sexual intimacy, like one sentence worth. I'm still keeping the rating at G because this is the only time I plan to add such type of content.

In the year of the coronation of Yi Seong-gye, Nayeon walked the streets of what was once called the capital.

Gaegyeong, before regarded as the seat of power, was now decrepit and on the verge of abandonment. Residents left and right hawked wares at rock-bottom prices that, still, nobody could afford.

Nayeon herself was in a tight position. Had she needed to eat, she would have long lost all the money she had earned as a scribe. Now, Nayeon hoped to find writing materials before moving to the capital.

Instead, she found herself staring at a child. Eight years old, fair skin covered in soot and chopped up hair. The child sat by the roadside, neck anchored to a cart by some woven twine.

Nayeon approached the cart owner. "Why is this child tied up?"

The cart owner, an elderly man, waved a hand and shook his head. "One of the Japanese bastards that made their way here during the war" he said with a slur. "Found him among a body of corpses. For sale."

Nayeon crouched, looking at the child. There were moles scattered across the young boy's face, made barely visible by the soot.

Nayeon spoke in Japanese. "Do you want me to take you?"

Immediately, the lifeless eyes of the child lit up, focusing on her. Soft tears fell from beautiful eyes.

Nayeon felt a burning sensation in the tattoos underneath her hanbok, and she knew it was too late. 

........

Nayeon easily found work in the new government, disguised as a man, being one of the few survivors who can write in Chinese. The two of them stayed in a simple house in Hanseong, enjoying moderate protection by the state.

Mina, the Japanese child, was raised from the ground up. She was timid by nature, having to be coaxed out of her shell. As the years went on, she grew fond of Nayeon, not yet recognizing the feelings brought about by the curse.

She learned early on that she could not touch Nayeon's bare skin. 

Under Nayeon's careful instruction, Mina learned how to bathe, cook, clean, and read.  
And read she did, during the time Nayeon was away. Books spurred Mina's mental growth as she ate up Japanese and Korean literature like a fine meal. In the evenings, she would regale the stories to Nayeon, who listened attentively.

As Mina grew in age, she grew in beauty. Her body was supple and free of blemish, the only mark being the moles on her face and the thorned vines over her heart. Her mind was sharp as a knife, voice as soft as the ripples on a lake. By the age of eighteen, Mina was known as the jewel of the town.

Nayeon adored the woman Mina became.

As was natural for a growing woman, Mina recognized the the curse's effects - love and lust. She learned, through studying Nayeon's quick glances and heavy breaths, that she felt the same.

They could only touch each other through heavy sheets, or three layers of clothing.

For Nayeon, it was better than having nothing at all.


	6. Blessings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongyeon meets someone with whom her past and destiny is entwined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this came a little late as I couldn't write it yet. I fight valiantly against writer's block TT_TT it gets tough even if I have all the events planned out, execution is tough
> 
> as always, comments and criticisms are welcome!

Jeongyeon wakes up in her studio apartment. 

The digital alarm clock on the right side of the bed tells her that the time is 12 noon, and the day is Tuesday. The day of ITZY' shoot.

Jeongyeon scrambles into her restroom to take a quick shower. Instinctively, she looks at chest, bare. She shakes her head, wondering what it is that she was looking for, then opens the shower head.

Her memories of the day before are nonexistent after her meeting with the CEO of YFF. Was she just that tired?

Jeongyeon's head feels heavy, as if a lead weight replaced her brain.

Fresh from the shower, Jeongyeon checks her phone. Fifteen missed calls from her co-manager. While dressing up, Jeongyeon calls her, putting the phone on speaker.

"Jeongyeon-eonni, where are you? You didn't return to the office yesterday" says Jihyo from the other side of the line. "YFF informed us that you were unwell."

"I don't remember" reveals Jeongyeon "but I was able to get a copy of the schedule and questions as promised." Once dressed, Jeongyeon heads to the table to retrieve the files. "I'll be picking you and the girls up in thirty minutes."

"Did you just black out?" Jihyo's voice is loud even from a meter away. "Seriously, I told you to sleep regularly. Look where it got you."

"Seriously, you can stop nagging now Jihyo," Jeongyeon places the files in a brown envelope, picking up her phone and he keys to her car before heading out. She switches the speaker mode off. "On my way" she says before ending the call.

Jeongyeon lowers the sun visor of her car, what little she could do to prevent the summer heat from aggravating her headache. The radio blares of a report on the weather, which she shuts off promptly.

Jeongyeon successfully picks up her five charges and Jihyo from the JYP building, dropping them off at the driveway of the Yeosin Fashion Frontier thirty minutes before their shoot. "I'll just park" she shouts to Jihyo from inside the car. She finds an empty driveway nearby, the place where she parked the day before.

Weird, she didn't even remember how she got home yesterday.

Jeongyeon walks to the front of the YFF building. She was definitely here the day before, and something important had happened. She pinches the space between her eyebrows.

"Jeongyeon-ah". A warm voice calls to her from the sidewalk. Jeongyeon turns, then is pulled in an embrace.

The familiar smell of the sea.

The girl pulls away from Jeongyeon, hands still gripping firmly on her shoulders. She is shorter than Jeongyeon by a couple of inches, with dyed blonde hair and slanting monolid eyes. Her smile is impish, as if she knew more than she let on.

"Glad to finally meet you." Says the younger girl as she pats Jeongyeon's shoulders, before letting go. She stretches a hand out. "I'm Kim Dahyun."

Jeongyeon hesitantly shakes her hand. "I'm sorry, but I have an appointment." She lets go, bowing before making her way to the building.

With some time to spare before the shoot, Jeongyeon finds herself riding the elevator to the top floor of the building. It opens to the sight of Momo, Nayeon's personal assistant.

Momo smiles at her. "How may I help you?"

Jeongyeon falters, as she doesn't know how to answer.

"Nayeon-nim is out of office today. Shall we head down?" Momo enters the elevator, pressing the button for the ground floor.

The ride down is silent. Momo removes her blazer, revealing a low-collar knit top.

A tattoo of red lines peek out from her shoulder blades until Momo adjusts her top.

Jeongyeon's headache worsens.

"Jeongyeon-eonni?" asks Yeji as she sits beside Jeongyeon. The younger girl fidgets with her hands as they watch Lia pose for the photographs. So far the shoot has gone well, except for Jeongyeon lapsing into slumber every five minutes. "You're falling asleep, eonni."

The manager blinks awake. "No I'm not" she says groggily. "Head just hurting."

"Jeongyeon-eonni, you should head home for now" enters Chaeryeong. She hands a bottle of Pocari Sweat to her manager, switching it with the files Jeongyeon almost drops to the floor. "We'll info Jihyo-eonni so that we can get a ride back to the dorm." 

Yeji and Chaeryeong leaver her to talk to Jihyo. Jeongyeon looks around quickly, seeing to it that the girls will be okay before she leaves. She greets Momo goodbye as she exits the photoshoot area.

Thick, dark clouds cover the sun, to Jeongyeon's relief. Looks like the weather report was wrong. She makes her way to her car, headache still worsening despite the shade.

Meters away from the car, she trips on herself. She curses, bracing herself for impact on the asphalt.

Her fall is stopped, shoulders held once more by steady hands and the smell of the sea. Tired, Jeongyeon's head lolls to the crook of Dahyun's shoulder.

"Huh, no wonder your so tired." Dahyun pats the back of Jeongyeon's head, soft hands massaging through her hair. "It seems like Nayeon-nim is desperate to keep you away."

Then, Dahyun sings. A soft, lilting melody, as ancient as the world itself.

Slowly, the tendrils of pain in Jeongyeon's mind unravel, leaving her like the ebbs of a receding wave. Dahyun caresses Jeongyeon's head, tracing patterns to the base of her skull. She continues to sing.

Slowly, Jeongyeon's memories return, each moment gently placing itself where it belongs in her mind.

"Who are you?" Jeongyeon asks, bewildered.

"I'm a friend" replies Dahyun, a grin on her face. "Personally, I recommend that you head home first before figuring anything out."

In a daze, Jeongyeon hurriedly opens the first two buttons of her dress shirt, peeking at the skin above her heart.

There they were, a pair of entwined vines. 

Immediately, Dahyun pulls Jeongyeon's dress shirt back together, closing the buttons as she swallows down a blush. "Jeez, you shouldn't be flashing yourself in public" says the younger girl. She slaps Jeongyeon on both cheeks.

"You saw it too right? The vines?" says Jeongyeon through squished cheeks.

"Yep, it's not a dream" Dahyun confirms. "The events of yesterday, the visions, they all happened." Dahyun caresses Jeongyeon's face before letting go. She steps back, looking at the older girl from head to toe. 

"What's going on?" asks Jeongyeon. Dahyun shakes her head, a stern look on her face. "Get in the car, Jeongyeon, and head home." She opens Jeongyeon's car door, pushing her gently into the seat. Dahyun locks the seatbelt over the older girl."

Jeongyeon keeps her hands off the steering wheel. "I won't drive until you tell me something, anything. Please," she begs the younger girl.

Dahyun purses her lips, in deep thought. "Okay," she says, "head to the Myoui museum down the block. You'll know what you're looking for."

The younger girl grabs the keys from Jeongyeon's pocket, plugging them in. "Now start the engine. And don't talk to anybody about this."

Jeongyeon bats Dahyun's hands away from the car keys, and the younger girl steps back from the car. Jeongyeon nods at Dahyun before closing the door and driving away.

........

Dahyun watches as Jeongyeon drives away. The image haunts her - red strings that nip at the older girl's heels from under the earth.

"Tzuyu-nim, I think your mom beat us to the punch" she says to nobody in particular. 

A tall woman appears beside her. The woman's long hair falls in waves, her face solemn. She faces Dahyun. "Omo-nim wishes to hurt her once more." Her tears threaten to fall, and with it the sky rumbles.

"I think we should tell your sister before anything happens. Now that the red strings are here." Dahyun begins to walk to the entrance of the Yeosin Fashion Frontier.

Tzuyu, the goddess of the sea, nods before disappearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yooooooo so what is Dahyun even? We shall find out.
> 
> let me know what you think about everything so far!


	7. Interlude - The child of the heavens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We revisit a famous japanese folk tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow I was so damn excited to finally reveal this part of the story! There is no turning back!!!!!!
> 
> As always, comments and criticisms are welcome.

Momotaro, the son of a peach, is a folk Japanese tale that was popularized in the Edo period. A child of the heavens, contained ina peach that floated by the river, was given as a blessing to an elderly couple. This child then grew to be a superior warrior, putting an end to the oppressive reign of the demon island that terrorized their village.

Momotaro is said to be based on a real general who lived in the Muromachi period. 

But, before there was Momotaro, before a great tale was spun, was the story of Momo.

Momo came to the Hirai household in a peach floating by the river. The wife, a woman living in the twilight of her life, picked up a peach as a refreshing meal for her husband. The peach was huge and heavy as their pet cat. 

Hoping to sow the seed of the the peach, the old woman cut carefully around the peach. But, as it broke open, the cries of a newborn child rang throughout the Hirai home. To the woman's surprise, a baby girl sat in the center of the peach.

The husband believed Momo to be a gift from the earth and its deities. The two raised Momo to be a well rounded child, filled with all the love and knowledge the two could give her.

And really, Momo was blessed. She grew up stronger than most men, coupled with the grace only a woman could possess. She brought joy to the elderly couple during the village festivals, with dances that awed and inspired the crowds. In skirmishes, Momo more often than not bested the warriors of her village in skills of archery, swordfighting, and hand to hand combat. As if making up for lost time, Momo returned hundred fold the love that her foster parents bestowed on her.

It was for this love that she journeyed to the Demon Island, armed only with her blade and three companions: a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant. Armed with wisdom and compassion, Momo took down the king of the demon island, taking for her village the treasures of the king. 

...........

"Momo, can you not stay any longer?" The father asks, holding the hand of his only daughter. The mother weeps beside her husband.

"I must fulfill the other promises I have made, as I have told you" says Momo, with tears in her eyes. "The earth goddess has made me for this purpose." She places a hand on her chest, right above her heart. "I will return with her if I am successful."

She kisses her parents goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, more will be made known as we continue on this story. Let me know what you think about this new development!


	8. The goddess cries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nayeon visits the grave of a lost love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what comments do, folks. They fuel me with the energy to write.
> 
> Comments and criticisms are welcome as always! Let me know what you think, especially about the pace of the story.

Nayeon stands at the gravesite of the Myoui clan. The skies are dark as she reads the new names engraved on the stone shrine. She is dressed in her black and white suit, standing out against the gloomy expanse of the yard.

At the very top of the list of names is the name of Mina Myoui.

............

Jeongyeon enters the Myoui museum, the looming thunderclouds threatening to pour outside.

The Myoui museum is well lit, chandeliers hanging from the four-story ceiling of the main hall. From the entrance, Jeongyeon can see the two floors that make up the building, galleries that only fills the edges of the museum, leaving space for a tall painting at the center of the hall.

"Would you like a brochure?" says a young man with dark hair who approaches Jeongyeon from the service desk. He stands tall, slanted eyes and thin lips expressing cordiality. He holds out to Jeongyeon a brochure that opens into a detailed map of the place.

The young man directs Jeongyeon's eyes to the painting. "This here is my ancestor, Myoui Sakamoto, who served as a liaison to Japan for King Sejong the Great in the year 1432." The young man in front of her is a spitting image of Myoui Sakamoto, and Jeongyeon comments on that.

The young man chuckles. "We all get it from his mother."

...............

A tall man approaches Nayeon from behind. Despite his age, his hair is dark and wavy, combed into a side part. His beard is trimmed, defining his jaw and bordering his thin lips.

Nayeon acknowledges him with a curt nod. "Souma."

The man bows from the hip, then adjusting his spectacles. "Nayeon-noona. You should have told me you would visit us today."

"It was on a whim, Souma. I do not plan to stay so long."

The older man purses his lips. "At least stay for the afternoon? My wife misses your company, and my son is eager to hear more of your stories." He stands beside Nayeon, admiring the grave. "It will rain soon, if the clouds are any indication."

"Maybe I will, where is Kai anyway?"

"He's home from New York for the summer, working part time at the museum. You know his fascination for Mina's writings."

Nayeon smiles, knowing that Kai's fascination is well founded. "Go ahead, Souma. I will pay respects to the dead of the family first."

.........

Kai, Jeongyeon's tour guide, brings her to the second floor of the museum. "This museum was founded only eight years ago, thanks to a partnership with the Yeosin Fashion Frontier." He leads her to the back end of the hallway. "Every year, we host their Fall and Winter collection in the main hall."

Jeongyeon is silent, with thoughts stewing in her mind. In between the steps they take, she hears a small whisper from under the earth.

_The curse, the curse, free her from the curse._

Jeongyeon shakes her head, then bumping in to Kai. He is stopped in front of a smaller gallery.

The plaque outside the entrance of the gallery reads "The Collections of Myoui Mina". Beside the plaque is an ink drawing of a woman writing on a worktable. Thick, dark lines are used to illustrate the long hair of the woman, with thinner lines detailing her face and the embroidery of her hanbok.

The woman's hands are drawn as if resting on the table, her expression downwards to look at the pieces of paper in her hands. She holds a brush in her right hand.

"This is the mother of Sakamoto, who died giving birth to him at the korean age of twenty."

.........

Nayeon is once again alone by the gravesite of Mina. She touches the stone of the shrine, trying best to recall how Mina felt.

Whenever she remembers Mina, she remembers all the women who came before and after her.

Nayeon recalls when she fell from the heavens, landing on the soil of Ancient Joseon. She recalls the face of the farmer girl, the first woman who succumbs to her curse. Nayeon recalls the moment the girl touches her face, that she is incinerated on the spot. The girls ashes fall on Nayeon's prone body, soot marring her face.

A piece of Nayeon's heart broke for every woman she loved. No matter how hard she tried to keep herself away, the women would always seek her, as if bound by the red string of fate. As fate would have it, they were bound for demise the moment the thorned vines sprout on their chest.

The earth goddess knew no pity, only vengeance.

At some point, Nayeon learned how to close her heart. How painful it was for the goddess of love to scorn love itself. Countless nights, Nayeon cried out to the earth goddess to swallow her whole.

A hand smoothing over the gravestone, Nayeon recalls the agony of watching Mina die without holding her hand.

Nayeon recalls the agony of holding Momo to her chest, the very core of her own heart being pried away from her by the damned curse.

She recalls every woman thereafter, whose mind she seals from ever knowing her.

But now, even when Nayeon wrapped herself in layer after layer of cloth, wrapped her heart in layer after layer of solitude, the earth goddess knew how to shatter her defenses.

The earth goddess knew no pity, only vengeance.

Even now, in memory of Mina, Nayeon cries.

..........

Kai is called to the service desk, leaving Jeongyeon to explore the dim halls on her own.

Myoui Mina was a prolific writer in her youth, her tales of fiction concerning deities and spirits published posthumously. She was adored by her husband, a Japanese merchant by the name of Myoui Takamoto, for her sharp wit and knowledge of literature. They were wed in the fall, and the summer of the year after, Myoui Sakamoto was born.

Jeongyeon is drawn to the story of a goddess who fell from the sky. Beside the Hangul translation of the chinese characters is an ink drawing of a woman with flowers in her hair.

The woman had flowing tresses and a slender neck. She faces away from the artist, laying down on her side in the nude.

All over her body are patterns of thorned vines, snaking around each limb, entwined on her back.

Jeongyeon wonders if this woman is Im Nayeon, who in her visions has flowers in her hair and a smile on her face.

Jeongyeon makes her way through the gallery, reading more and more of Mina Myoui's stories, viewing her ink drawings. The dead author writes always the story of a goddess who was cursed to roam the earth and set fire to mortal man. She emphasizes how the goddess weeps.

The goddess is beautiful in the ink drawings of Mina, but always turned back, always naked, always with thorned vines.

"One day," Mina writes, "the goddess will no longer have to cry."

The whispers from under the earth get louder.

_The curse, the curse, free her from the curse._

Jeongyeon finds, at the end of the gallery, glass doors that lead to a small yard with a stone shrine. The yard is at the foot of a one-storey Japanese-style home, with a stone wall that separates the space from the urban city of Seoul. The rain falls harshly on the stone steps that lead to the shrine, drenches the grass that covers the space surrounding it.

Slumped by the shrine, Jeongyeon can see the back of a goddess in a black and white suit, whose loud sobs were drowned out by the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A literal sob story TT_TT
> 
> I'm finally at the point where I am 90% sure that only 10 chapters remain. This means 5 more updates, as I write interludes and the actual story in pairs.
> 
> Halfway there, my folks! Please stay for the ride.


	9. Interlude - Death and Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nayeon loses Mina twelve years after she finds her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to glennguin for some awesome comments!
> 
> Just for some clarity:
> 
> nayeon is cursed during the gojoseon era (50 BCE)
> 
> she meets mina in 1392, the year King Taejo establishes the Joseon dynasty. She was 8 years old then. Her descendants by Myoui Takamoto are still alive today.
> 
> Momo was a hero of the Muromachi era, around 1450. We do not yet know how her paths cross with Nayeon, but that will be clear soon.
> 
> Glennguin caught something specific about Momo, and I may or may not have revealed some interesting information. Do not fear, *wiggles arms* all will be revealed!

"Nayeon," whispers Mina from the futon. The nineteen year old woman shivers despite being wrapped in multiple blankets.

Nayeon sits by the foot of the futon, watching Mina.

"Get my box from the bottom of the cabinet."

Nayeon obeys Mina. She walks to the cabinet, pulling the bottom drawer. Inside is a chest, which Nayeon pulls out to set beside Mina.

"Don't," Mina raises a hand, then flinches in pain. She places a hand on her belly, swollen from her pregnancy. "The box is for you, open it."

Nayeon opens the box, which is filled with stacks of paper. In each stack of papers, written in neat Chinese, are the stories Nayeon told her. With it lay various ink drawings of herself, and one of Mina.

"I want you to pass this to my child" says Mina in between heavy breaths. "I fear that I will not be alive to tell your tale after their birth."

Nayeon gripped the box firmly, trying her hardest not to approach Mina, to caress her cheeks or hold her hand. Tears escape, however, landing on the box. "Please, Mina, do not say these things."

"Nayeon, I know that the earth goddess will use this moment to take me away from you." Mina's own eyes well up with tears, pooling on the sheets she lays on. "It is a miracle that I was able to spend the past twelve years of my life holding you without holding you, loving you in spite of your curse." 

Nayeon knows, just as much as Mina does. The red strings from under the earth writhe under the young woman even now.

Mina sits up with effort, looking at Nayeon intently. "I wish to never leave you."

"Yet you say you will."

"Even now, Nayeon, you are the most beautiful sight I have ever seen."

Nayeon cries, and she sees how much it pains Mina to watch her sob.

"Do this for me. Pass my notes on to my child, teach him about yourself. Do this, for every generation, while you are still on earth." Mina's tears fall, wetting her robes. "This way, I will always be near you, no matter how long it takes for your curse to be broken."

Mina folds the corner of her blanket once, twice, then thrice. She beckons to Nayeon to come closer. "Let me wipe your tears one last time."

"Mina, you are no longer bargaining your life alone whenever you touch me-"

"Please, or I will never be at peace."

Nayeon sits beside Mina's futon, careful not to touch her. Mina wipes her face with the corner of the blanket continuously, for Nayeon's tears do not stop. 

"Nayeon, I believe that the day will come when you will no longer have reason to cry." Mina says, a small smile forming on her thin lips.

Nayeon counts the moles on Mina's face, and kisses the blanket in Mina's hands. Even in tears, Mina is beautiful. 

Mina's eyes widen as she clutches her stomach. "Quick, call the midwife. Then do not leave my side." She drops down on the futon, eyebrows knit in pain. 

Nayeon obeys, calling the midwife stationed outside their room. She is forced to leave the room as doctors and shrine priests surround Mina, fearing for her life. 

Mina spends her last moments in agony, calling out Nayeon's name in between cries of pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and criticisms are welcome.


	10. The earth goddess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongyeon is given a choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, the sh*t is about to hit the fan.
> 
> As always, comments and criticisms are welcome. Specifically for this chapter, I would like to hear about the pace of my writing, and the interaction of the two characters.

Jeongyeon is struck by visions as the whispers grow loud in her ears.

She sees Nayeon in white robes, a body covered in vines with no thorns.

" _You will roam the earth forever, cursed to love only mortals_ "

Flowers in her hair, and a smile on her face.

" _You can no longer tempt as you have tempted_."

Then, the ground opens underneath her as thorns sprout from the vines on her body, burning themselves into her skin.

Jeongyeon covers her ears as whispers echo all around her.

_The curse, the curse, free her from the curse._

The whispers grow stronger, becoming a voice by which her blood runs cold.

Then, the voice takes the form of a woman. She appears in front of Jeongyeon, a pool of red string from under the earth forming into bone and flesh. The limbs click into place, long flowing hair rolling down her back, her eyes glowing golden in its intensity.

She stands looming over Jeongyeon, engulfing the gallery in her shadow.

"Hello, my temple maiden."

Jeongyeon falls to the ground at the sight of the woman. The woman's white robes wrap around her languidly, trailing on the floor as she walks towards Jeongyeon. She crouches, placing a steady hand underneath the younger woman'a chin.

"So she has marked you already" says the woman as she moves to stand up. Her voice sends chills down Jeongyeon's spine, the vines on her chest writhing in agony. Jeongyeon stands up, taking a step away from the woman.

"Yoo Jeongyeon, because of your past life, Nayeon is cursed to roam the earth, unable to touch any mortal being lest they burst into flame." The woman lifts her hand, red spools unraveling themselves. "As the goddess of love, she draws mortals in, cursing them into misery or demise. Like moths to a flame." The red strings dance in her hand, forming themselves into a shape of a woman. "It is because of this suffering that I must destroy her." At the words of the woman, the string figure crumbles into dust.

Jeongyeon's heart rages at the thought of Nayeon perishing. The woman catches this, and retracts her hand. "However, I do not wish to destroy her," says the woman, "but that is only if you cooperate."

"You see," fingers dance as red strings weave themselves into a cord. "Nayeon's curse ties her both to heaven and to earth. She is trapped between the two realms."

"She cannot die." She offers the cord to Jeongyeon, who does not take it. "I'm sure you saw fragments of her curse in your visions."

Jeongyeon stays silent.

The woman continues. "The vines over your heart tie her to you, tying you to heaven and earth as well." She stretches the cord taut, the cord connecting the ceiling to the floor.

"You can, in theory, live forever. Except that Nayeon's curse ties you to death." A third string latches itself to the cord, pulling it downwards until it snaps .

"It is in this unique situation that you can free her, by severing the strings that tie you to the mortal realm." The woman walks towards Jeongyeon. "Doing so, you will free Nayeon from this mortal realm as well. Her curse will end." She stands in front of Jeongyeon, hand outstretched. "Only if you cooperate."

Jeongyeon is tempted to hold onto the woman's outstretched hand, to set Nayeon free. To give her back the flowers in her hair, the carefree eyes and wide smile.

But then she remembers Dahyun's words of warning. The fear of the younger girl as she sent Jeongyeon away. Her heart lurches, and she knows that something is wrong with this whole mess.

The woman's face sours as her hesitance. The red strings writhe from beneath her feet. The whispers around her become loud, almost deafening.

In panic, Jeongyeon runs out of the gallery, burning with questions and an inexplicable fear. She almost slips on the stone steps, the rain drenching her from head to toe.

In the rain, the voices stop. She takes a moment to breathe before looking towards the stone shrine.

"Nayeon" Jeongyeon calls from where she stands, a couple of stone steps away from the entrance.

Even drenched in the rain, Nayeon is beautiful, her long hair framing her face and falling over her shoulders. Nayeon turns to her, eyes dull, then alive at the sight of Jeongyeon. She stands up.

The vines on Jeongyeon's chest grow warm, drawing her towards the goddess. She feels the rain soak her clothes and her skin.

"Is it true?" Jeongyeon asks as she takes a step towards Nayeon, "that you are a goddess?"

Apprehension in her eyes, Nayeon nods. She takes a step forward, eyes set on Jeongyeon.

"The curse to roam the earth? To love mortals but burn every mortal who touches you?"

Another nod. Another step.

They stand a foot apart. The rain softens into a drizzle as they look at each other with hearts that yearn to touch.

In Nayeon's eyes, Jeongyeon sees visions of her past self, carefree eyes, a wide smile. A field of wheat, golden in the summer sun.

Jeongyeon resists the urge to caress Nayeon's cheek. She hesitates, then asks the question.

"Do you love me?"

Nayeon pauses, eyes searching Jeongyeon's. "I am the goddess of love, Jeongyeon. Despite stemming from a curse, I guarantee you, that this is love."

She pulls a handkerchief from her blazer's inner pocket, folding it once, twice, then another time. With the tiny square, she touches the side of Jeongyeon's face.

"I am sorry, Jeongyeon, that I can only love you like this" says Nayeon. "Let me love you from afar, and live your life as if I have never existed."

The rains stop as the two women look at each other, the silence filled with a thousand words.

Then, Jeongyeon steps back.

"I can't, Nayeon. I can't let you live like this." She turns back, running to the gallery.

Nayeon sees the red strings that tie Jeongyeon to the earth. She screams Jeongyeon's name, too late, as the ground swallows the mortal up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this was really tough for me to write because of the complexity of the scene I was trying to convey, as well as the uneasy tension that was between Nayeon and Jeongyeon. After all, this is only they second conversation they share in this whole fic. 
> 
> This makes me think about what makes love love, and my answer is that Love is dying to the self for the sake of the other. In this scene, both Jeongyeon and Nayeon express that in their own way.
> 
> I worry that I may have written this too condensed together, and I may have been inconsistent with characterization of my protagonists. Let me know how I can make it better.


	11. Interlude - The promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo accepts her destiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, this happens before Momo visits her parents in the last part of interlude - the child of the heavens
> 
> I gave up on learning how to italicize on mobile.
> 
> As always, comments and criticisms are welcome

"These vines are thorned by my curse." Said Nayeon as she let her robes fall off. Momo let each curve of her body etch itself into her memory, each tattoo a marring of her fair skin. Nayeon's long hair tumbles all around her, curtains around her naked body like a masterpiece. 

Momo watched her from a distance. 

__

__

"The mark on your chest binds our fates together, until the day you die."

Nayeon sits on the futon, laying down slowly. 

"It has always been like this."

..........

Momo could not decide, whether meeting Nayeon on her journey back from the demon island was a blessing or a curse. 

They met then, when Momo was returning to her village with a pile of treasure. The pheasant had flown ahead, the dog walking in front of her horse, and the monkey behind her. 

The way she rode on a horse beside an official of the Joseon kingdom, passing only for a moment, captivated Momo. Only for a moment, their eyes met.

In that moment, Momo fell off her horse to the ground, clutching her chest as a heat burned over her heart. The dog barked in alarm, calling for the monkey from afar.

"Sakamoto, help her quickly" said the woman, stopping her horse abruptly. Momo watched the hooves of the white horse rouse the dust near her face.

The older man obeyed wordlessly, alighting from his horse before picking up Momo by the arm. "Nayeon-noona", spoke the older man in unfamiliar syllables, then in Japanese, "did your curse happen once more?"

He lifted Momo up, draping her on her own horse. The monkey, seeing that the two unfamilar people meant no harm, had settled Momo into her saddle. The man, Sakamoto, took ahold of the reins, leading them to their residence in the east.

............

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Momo asked, eyes following Nayeon's fingertips as the goddess played music on the lute. 

Nayeon gave Momo a faint smile, for which her heart lurched in pity. The goddess shook her head. 

"All I ask is that you stay alive, Momo, for as long as you can." 

...............

They stayed for a week in the Myoui residence, as Nayeon taught Momo of the curse and of the earth goddess. In kind, Momo regaled the tales of her life and adventure to the Demom Island. 

Sakamoto listened from afar, always telling Momo of the joy she made Nayeon feel. Momo saw it herself, how Nayeon played with the dog and the monkey with a rare laugh escaping her lips. How she gazed into Momo's eyes, content despite the longing in their hearts.

On good nights, they lay side by side in her private quarters, Nayeon gazing into her eyes until Momo fell asleep. Momo's vines glowed with warmth from the presence of the goddess.

On the other nights, when Nayeon's pain was too much to bear, she directed Sakamoto to accompany Momo, reading to her the notes of his own mother. Through the paper walls, Momo saw Nayeon's silhouette in the candlelight, kneeling and chest heaving.

On the nights where she slept alone, she listened to voices that whispered from under the earth. Voices that promised a way to free Nayeon from her curse.

.............

"Thank you for accommodating us." 

Momo sat on her horse, ready to depart. Sakamoto clipped the bags onto the saddle of Momo's horse, checking each one. Nayeon watched from afar.

"Nayeon-nim," Momo called to her, "the earth goddess spoke to me in my dreams, telling me that I will be the one to set you free." 

She watched as Nayeon stood still.

"I will return here, in fourteen days, to do so." She proclaimed, the dog in front of her horse and the monkey at the back. "Then, we will be free to love each other without the fear of death."

Momo saw in Nayeon's eyes a childlike hope before she turned away.

.............

On the fourteenth night, Momo stands in front of the doorway of the Myoui residence, Nayeon standing in front of her. She watches, with the same two eyes, as Momo is swallowed by the earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing people who fall in love from a curse is really *tough*, let me know how I did!
> 
> SPOILER ALERT-----  
> Something should be *really* wrong with the earth goddess' promises if Nayeon is still cursed in the present. Am I spoonfeeding? Pretend I didn't say anything  
> \-----------


	12. Penance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo is face to face with a goddess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, the interludes grow longer as the actual chapters grow shorter. It's weird to balance the plot revelation with the pace of the story, especially since the actions that happen in the following chapters stand on the lore of this AU.
> 
> As always, comments and criticisms are welcome.

The rain pours harshly on the driveway of the Yeosin Fashion Frontier. Momo bows in farewell as the car of JYP drives away, with the idol group ITZY safe and dry. It had been a successful shoot, their company did well to sign a contract with the five girls. The only thing left is for Momo to organize the Marketing team so that they can publish the new ads by Wednesday.

Momo watches the rain and wonders if Nayeon is safe and dry as well. The goddess had been crying since Momo left to bring Jeongyeon back to her studio. Momo encouraged her to take the day off today, to visit Souma and the rest of the Myouis. That always lift her mood somewhat.

In habit, her hand ghosts over the dried up vines that cover her heart. Maybe she will prepare the digital video disc for Sunshine on the Spotless Mind for when Nayeon returns.

She turns to enter the building once more.

"Momo" a voice calls out to her. Momo stiffens, fists clenched. The smell of the sea.

She reaches into her blazer for the folding knife concealed inside. Standing tall, she turns to face the voice.

"Tzuyu-nim, how may I help you?" she addresses the question to the young woman, blonde hair and milky white skin. "Is this rain of your doing?"

Dahyun approaches, raising a hand. "It's okay, I come in peace." She takes measured steps toward the warrior. "I called for the rain to protect us fom the listening ears of our mother."

Momo flinches at the mere mention of the earth goddess.

"State your business" Momo points the blade to Dahyun, stopping the girl's steps. Her face is still, eyes boring holes into Dahyun's skull. "Easy there, we're on the same team" Dahyun lifts both hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"State it, Tzuyu-nim, or I will rip your host apart with this blade" threatens Momo, a vein throbbing from her neck. She moves towards Dahyun, blade poised.

Tzuyu appears in between Momo and Dahyun. Momo stabs forward, but the goddess catches the warrior's wrist, gripping it tightly.

"Momo, I need to speak to Nayeon" says the tall woman, eyes resolute. "Do not harm Dahyun." She twists Momo's arm, forcing her to drop her knife.

Momo wrenches her wrist away from the grip of the goddess, stepping back. She eyes Dahyun, who Tzuyu holds behind her.

"I will not listen to you unless you give me your host" says Momo, crouching to pick up the folding knife. "I have no reason to believe you otherwise." She stands easily, hands cradling the knife before she points it at Dahyun.

Tzuyu steps forward, eyes alight with rage, but Dahyun holds her back. She meets Tzuyu's gaze, offering a reassuring smile.

Dahyun walks towards Momo, lifting the blade to her throat. "Cut my neck, and Nayeon suffers another eternity" Dahyun challenges, eyes resolute.

Momo watches as Tzuyu disappears, joining with Dahyun once more. The young woman's eyes gaze into Momo's. "Will you listen now?"

"Speak, mortal."

Dahyun breathes, shuddering at the cold metal that touches her throat. "The red strings on your back that Omo-nim has bound you with, I saw them sprouting from under the earth, nipping at Jeongyeon's heels. She is after Jeongyeon." Dahyun stares back at Momo, maintaining contact.

Momo searches Dahyun's eyes for any hint of dishonesty. Finding none, she drops the blade, letting her arm fall to her side.

_The curse, the curse, free her from the curse._

Her thoughts are drawn to her first encounter with the earth goddess. Red strings, whispers, faked benevolence.

How, foolishly, she was dragged under the earth, thinking she would set Nayeon free.

How she became Nayeon's heaviest shackles the moment Momo cut the two cords that bound herself to the earth.

"I believe that she is planning to bind Jeongyeon in the same red strings, fooling her with the same promise" says Dahyun, faster now. The rain slows to a patter, and will stop in ten minutes. "Nayeon must stop her before she is swallowed by the earth."

"Nayeon isn't here" says Momo. "She is at the Myoui residence."

Dahyun's eyes widen, a curse uttered under her breath. "It's too late." She steps back, unsteady.

Momo grips her wrist. "No, not yet." They cannot let this happen again. "We can find them this time."

She calls for the pheasant with a whistle. In an instant, a bird of vibrant color descends, landing outside the driveway. It measures taller than Momo by several feet, the plumage of its tail as long as the driveway.

"Quick, to the Myoui residence" says Momo, climbing onto the back of the pheasant. She pulls Dahyun onto the bird, wrapping the younger girl's arms around her waist.

The rain stops, and time is of the essence.

"You're kidding me now, is this the freaking Momotaro pheasant?" says Dahyun, hugging Momo tightly from behind.

Even with fear gripping her chest, Momo smiles. "Wait until you see the dog and the monkey." She signals for the pheasant to take off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if it was clear, but the events here happen simultaneously with the events of The earth goddess chapter. The rain helps with the timing, or maybe I should have written them down in one scene. 
> 
> Penance is an interesting title choice, and I find that it captures so much of the agony of the characters in this story. All of them.
> 
> No matter, let me know what you think.
> 
> freaking Three batches of updates left mydudes. This will be done by the end of the week. Stay on for the ride!!!


	13. Interlude - Torment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The earth goddess knows no pity, only vengeance

Momo stands at an expanse under the earth.

"This is the valley of gods and mortals" says the earth goddess. "The very core of the earth." The expanse is dark as night, the only light coming from the iridescent soil.

Momo sees that the ground she stands upon is not soil, but a mass of colored string, swirling and tangling among each other, in motion like the ebbs along a shoreline. 

A gold cord connects the sky to the bottom of the valley. The cord is thick like a tree trunk, one end pulled to the ground by a heavy mass of red string. The two colors mix, forming thinner cords of gold and red that are entwined in loose, black strings, hanging around the cord like leaves off branches.

"This is the cord of Nayeon" says the earth goddess. They walk towards the golden cord, wading among the strings.

..................

Nayeon waits, under the moonlight. Momo's dog, monkey, and pheasant, all stand guard, waiting for their friend to return.

"The moon is ominous," says the monkey as it paces to and fro, "the heavens are telling us that something will go wrong."

"Do not curse our friend" says the pheasant, "you will make Nayeon-nim cry."

.............

Momo watches as the goddess sorts through the black strings attached to the red-gold cords. The severed strings have white text on them, some in Chinese, and one name in Japanese: Mina Myoui.

"See, Momo, the different strings that have snapped from the gravity of Nayeon's pull," the earth goddess lets go, the strings hanging loosely around Nayeon's cord. "They are bound to this cord by Nayeon's love, severed from the earth by her curse, for the crime she has done against me."

She points to one of the loose ends of Nayeon's cord, tracing how it tangled into a peach-colored string that was still attached to the earth. "This is your string, which I wove myself." says the goddess. She turns the string in her palms until the Japanese characters for Momo's name is revealed. "I made you for this purpose, Momo, so that you can set Nayeon free." Momo observes that the red-gold cord is tightly woven around her own string. Red-gold for Nayeon, peach for Momo. 

To cut one was to cut both.

............

The dog watches Nayeon with a somber expression. "Are you worried?" asks the dog, ears drooping down.

Nayeon pats the dog's head tenderly. "I promised Momo that I will wait for her."

The dog curls up as it lays on the ground.

............

The goddess steps away from the cord, walking towards the warrior. "Severing the string connecting you to the earth will sever the string of Nayeon's curse. Once the red string is cut, it will follow that the curse will let Nayeon go." She pulls out of her sleeve a pair of ivory scissors. "But only you can cut your own string."

"The choice you have is this: By sacrificing your mortality, you will free Nayeon from the curse." The earth goddess studies Momo's face. "You will die." 

She hands Momo the pair of scissors.

............

The vines on Nayeon's skin writhe uncontrollably in warning. Her heart lurches.

"Momo is in danger" says Nayeon to the dog by her side. "We must find her."

On command, the dog digs a tunnel under the earth.

..............

Momo feels the cold smoothness of the blade in her hands. She remembers Nayeon's hunched frame, her sad smile. She picks up the peach string, the hum of magic emanating from the red-gold cord that was wrapped around it.

With a snip, Momo ends her life.

........ 

Nayeon sees Momo's lifeless body fall on the bed of iridescent string. She rushes to Momo with all the strength in her body, screams of anguish escaping her lips. 

"Nayeon-nim, I have a gift for you" says the earth goddess as she holds Momo's peach string, the entangled red-gold cord glowing white. "A gift, a companion who can stay with you for eternity."

The earth goddess knows no pity, only vengeance.

Red strings stretch from the sky, pulling Momo's peach string to the heavens. It forms a column of peach, red, and gold, that will trap Momo between the heaven and the earth. Nayeon watches helplessly as the red string of the curse burns bright.

Nayeon holds Momo in her arms, her tattoos searing on her skin.  
Unimaginable is the pain Nayeon feels as her love for Momo turns to ashes, the severed red string burning the gold cord. If her body were cut open, each bone and organ crushed one at a time, even then it would be bearable to this.

It is excruciatingly slow, how Momo slowly loses the grip she had on Nayeon's heart. 

The fallen goddess shrieks, the loss so vast and deep as if her own heart is prying itself out of her chest. She watches the face of the woman she loved, caressing it before she forgot what her caresses meant. Nayeon covers Momo's forehead with kisses of farewell.

The goddess holds Momo tightly in a futile attempt to salvage even a strand of their connection.

It is ironic, for the goddess of love to fall out of love.

Nayeon's tears stop as the last of the gold cord crumbles into dust. Momo's eyes flutter open to a goddess who did not love her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> akdlfja;kdnklena I had a really hard time writing that. I had everything I wanted to say in my head, but I couldn't express them in words.
> 
> Thus, this bean.
> 
> Let me know if you want to copy edit it, or beta it, or have more questions that I should address. It frustrates me that at such an important chapter I suddenly forget how to write TT_TT
> 
> Please, let me hear your feedback for this chapter!


	14. Descent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nayeon follows Jeongyeon under the earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second half of the update! 
> 
> How far we've come from an OTPpromptgenerator, two more updates to go.
> 
> Comments and criticisms are welcome as always! Especially concerning the pace and the characterization. Any questions and clarifications are more than welcome!

Nayeon clutches the ground on which Jeongyeon stood. Many thoughts fill her head, worry bubbling in her chest.

She digs, fingers clawing into the soil. Memories flash of Momo in her arms, the sensation of emptiness that time has never healed. The pain that came with knowing what she lost.

Fervently, desperately, she digs.

"Nayeon!" calls a voice, the last voice Nayeon wants to hear. She stands up, turning abruptly to charge at the goddess of the sea.

Momo tackles her, holding the fuming goddess back. "Stop, Nayeon-nim, she is on our side." She pushes Nayeon by the shoulders, straining at the force of the goddess.

Nayeon's eyes glow purple as she faces the girl with blonde hair and milky white skin. "You mock me with your presence!" she shouts, the tattoos of the vines glowing golden through her clothes. Effortlessly, she walks forward, the balls of Momo's feet forming tracks on the earth.

"You are the foolish one, digging the earth with your hands!" lambasts Dahyun, palms upward in a gesture of exasperation. "Don't be stupid!"

The statement catches Nayeon off guard. She stops, the glow of her eyes and tattoos fading. Momo stumbles backward, falling on her backside with a grunt.

"Momo, get the dog." Nayeon turns away from Dahyun to face Momo.

"Wait, Nayeon-nim," Momo stands up, " "Tzuyu-nim needs to-"

"Whatever Tzuyu needs, we can do after we save Jeongyeon-" 

"But, Nayeon-nim-"

"Stop me one more time, Momo" threatens Nayeon, "and you will never see my face again." 

Momo steps back, face ashen. She hesitates, shifting glances between Nayeon and Dahyun. At this, Nayeon's expression softens. "Sorry, Momo, I take that back." She steps toward Momo, fixing the warrior's hair. "I can talk to Tzuyu on the way down."

Nayeon looks at Dahyun, beckoning her to follow them. "Descend with us."

Momo lifts her hand. The ground shakes as the behemoth dog leaps into the compound, its damp fur shimmering golden. Its heavy hind legs land on the grass with a thud. The monkey drops down from the back of the dog, standing to triple Momo's height.

Momo climbs on the back of the dog as it sniffs the earth. Its giant front paws make easy work of the dirt, rapidly digging a tunnel. "Monkey, carry the two goddesses" says Momo before she descends with the dog. The monkey bows, stretching its hands out to Nayeon and Dahyun, cradling the two of them in its hands before following the dog into the tunnel.

Nayeon is curled into a ball beside Dahyun, in the palms the monkey. They descend the tunnel, the only source of light being the dog's golden fur.

"Nayeon" speaks Dahyun "I am on your side."

Nayeon curls herself tightly, tucking her head in her arms. The smell of the sea settles heavily in her stomach. "What reason have I to believe you? It is your mother after all who cursed me, cursed Momo, and is now about to curse Jeongyeon." Nayeon grits her teeth. 

Dahyun leans back, resting her head on the thumb of the monkey. "Tzuyu's mother trapped her under the sea for two millennia, you know" she offers. "Tzuyu also loved Jeong Yeon."

Nayeon seethes. "Tzuyu's love caused Jeongyeon more harm than good."

"Exactly," Dahyun cuts Nayeon off, "why Tzuyu doesn't want it Omo-nim to harm her again. This much you have to believe before we get anywhere." 

Nayeon stares at the younger girl, studying her face. "Are you not Tzuyu right now?" Dahyun adjusts her legs as they continue to descend. "Tzuyu is too disheartened to face you. I know what she wants to tell you, though."

"There is a way to break your curse." Nayeon perks up, listening to Dahyun explain the plan of the sea goddess. "How do you know this will work?" she asks after Dahyun finishes. In response, Dahyun shrugs. "I don't, neither does Tzuyu, but it's worth a shot. The way Momo described the valley, I believe that this will work." Dahyun leans back on the monkey's thumb once more.

"That does sound risky," echoes the monkey, its raspy voice reverberating throughout the tunnel. "But it sounds much better than what you have been doing with your life, Nayeon-nim."

Nayeon watches Momo from afar, her back visible in the glow of the dog's fur. Even if they were to run away with Jeongyeon now, there was no guarantee that she would be the last woman the earth goddess could torment. So long as she is cursed, Nayeon will continue to bring misfortune to other women, through death and fates worse than death. It is only because Momo is strong that she is still by Nayeon's side, suffering for a sin that is not hers to bear.

Nayeon's tattoos glow warm as they approach the end of the tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mercy on my soul, o gods of fanfiction! I am but a child.
> 
> Believe me when I say that Momo is my favorite Twice member. Her side plot is probably 50% of why this fic happened in the first place. Mina is 30%. 
> 
> 2yeon stans, I promise your moment will.come!
> 
> Let me know what you think.


	15. Interlude - Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dahyun felt the longing in her heart before she knew what she was longing for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fresh off the press!
> 
> I'm sorry for the delay, as life happened! Will explain at the end of this chapter.
> 
> Don't worry though, I am still working on this series and Beat like a drum! I plan to finish this ASAP
> 
> Comments and criticisms are all welcome!!

From the moment she was born, Dahyun felt a longing in her heart. It wasn't something she understood, but it was a clear ache in her chest, a void to be filled by something she had yet to discover.

When she was a baby, her parents tried to understand why Dahyun couldn't sleep at night, going to doctors to find a solution to their predicament. This affected Dahyun's health, as seen in her small stature and pale white skin growing up.

Nevertheless, Dahyun was eager to grow up, learning at four months how to speak and at seven months how to walk. And walk she did - the moment her parents set her down on the floor or left a door open, Dahyun eagerly crawled out, exploring the outside world on her tiny feet. This both impressed and worried her parents. 

Dahyun's parents feared for their daughter. She was advanced in mind and stout of heart, but frail in body. This made her a prime target for negative elements whenever she wandered around the neighborhood. Before entry to grade school, Dahyun had already been involved in six car accidents, and one kidnapping. 

The mysterious thing is that Dahyun lived through all these encounters. After the first three car accidents, Dahyun's parents accepted their child's miraculous invincibility as a fact of life. From the frequency of incidence, a member of the police force became a close friend of the family and was even present on Dahyun's seventh birthday.

The kidnappers who tried to take her from the sidewalk outside her school were found sopping wet outside the nearest police station.

On her seventh birthday, Dahyun recognized the longing in her heart as something that wasn't hers. It happened by accident, Dahyun looking around at all the guests, asking herself what exactly she was looking for among the many faces.

A separate voice had answered in her head, "Jeong Yeon." Dahyun saw in her mind the face of a beautiful eonni, long black hair in braids and a sharp angle of the jaw. Perturbed by the vision, Dahyun asked the voice again. "Why are you looking for Jeong Yeon?"

The voice answered again, more distinct from her thoughts the second time around. "To atone for the sin I have committed against her."

Dahyun learned a little later that not everyone had an "imaginary friend", as her parents put it (though she was sure that Tzuyu was no figment of her imagination). She continued to engage the voice in secret, picking its brains all the way into the night. She didn't learn much, except that Tzuyu was asleep for thousands of years and did not like her mom.

Out of respect, Tzuyu stopped commandeering Dahyun's body to look for Jeong Yeon. Instead, she would constantly pester Dahyun to check out the nearby flower shop, or the corner of the next block, or behind the school, and many other nooks and crannies around the neighborhood. Sensing Tzuyu's restlessness in her body, Dahyun would entertain the sea goddess's different requests. 

A few months after Dahyun turned eight, her section in school paid a visit to her classmate's family museum. Kai had eagerly brought the class to the front desk, begging the man stationed there to take them to the Mina gallery. 

As always, Tzuyu urged Dahyun to snoop around the big building. The ceiling was high, with a gigantic painting of the man at the desk in the center of the hall. Eager to explore, Dahyun ventured into the far back of the hall, then climbing up the stairs.

The "Collections of Myoui Mina" plaque was large on the entrance of the gallery, beside the ink drawing of a woman. Dahyun studied the drawing before heading inside.

"Dahyun, we are getting close" said Tzuyu inside her head. Dahyun continued to read the text of the panel, some words in hangul unfamiliar even to her. Tzuyu directed Dahyun to the ink drawings of a naked woman with long hair and marks on her body. 

"Wait, it's a naked woman!" says Dahyun to nobody in particular. She shielded her eyes with her hands, then looking through the gaps between her small fingers. 

"We must find this goddess" said Tzuyu with no regard for Dahyun's surprise. 

They continued through the museum, Dahyun shielding her eyes at every naked woman drawing. Finally, they arrived at the end of the gallery.

Through the glass doors, Dahyun saw a small compound with a strangely shaped house surrounded by a stone wall. The house was situated in a yard of grass, a stone path leading both to ita front door and branching off toward a stone shrine.

At the shrine were two women whose backs were facing Dahyun. One wore a black and white suit, long brown hair cascading all the way down her back. The other wore her black hair in a bun, with the red marks on her back peeking above the low collar of her knit top.

"Nayeon" were the words out of Dahyun's mouth before she even thought them.

Possessed, Dahyun ran out of the gallery, closing the distance between her and the two women. The woman in a black and white suit jerked her head around, raising her hand towards Dahyun as her eyes glowed purple.

Dahyun was pushed to the ground as a flash of golden light passed beside her. Standing between her and Nayeon was a tall woman with long dark hair and doe eyes, clothed in white.

From the ground, Dahyun could see how the other woman struggled to pull Nayeon back to no avail. "After all this time you reveal yourself, Tzuyu, with a human child as your only anchor to this world", spat Nayeon. The other woman stumbled backwards as Nayeon wrenched her wrists free. "Nayeon-nim, please! You might hurt someone" she pleaded as she held onto Nayeon by the waist.

"You fail to understand, Momo! She is why I am stuck on earth!" Nayeon raged, pulling Momo across the soil. 

"You selfish fiend! Monster! I will make you suffer," Nayeon raised her hands once more, a halo of light emanating from her palms.

Tzuyu picked Dahyun up, running taking cover inside the gallery. Over Tzuyu's shoulder, Dahyun saw how Momo stood in between Nayeon and themselves before being blown aside by the force of Nayeon's power.

Dahyun and Tzuyu hid behind one of the exhibits as glass shards scattered from the explosion. Tzuyu's hand cradled the back of Dahyun's head during the impact. She then ran out the other end of the gallery and down the stairs, Dahyun still secure in her arms.

The school trip was cut short because a lightbulb exploded in one of the galleries, said Dahyun's homeroom teacher as they boarded the bus back to school. Her classmate Kai was inconsolable, refusing leave the museum until the teacher excused him. Tzuyu disappeared then, hidden in the corner of Dahyun's being. She did not respond to any of Dahyun's questions or calls.

"Am I a monster, Dahyun?" asked a soft voice as Dahyun settled into her bed for the night. 

The younger girl twiddled her toes, body hidden under the covers. "What makes you think so, Tzuyu?" asked Dahyun. She waited patiently for an answer, which came weak. 

"What Nayeon said was true, that I caused her and Jeong Yeon to suffer."

"But you're sorry, right?" asked Dahyun. Tzuyu reasoned in response. "Apologising is not enough, I am responsible for Jeong Yeon's death." The voice of the sea goddess was strained. "I hurt the woman Nayeon loved, Dahyun."

Dahyun stayed silent for a moment, wrapping herself tightly with her comforter. "But you loved Jeong Yeon too, I know that much."

Tzuyu did not respond, so Dahyun continued. "I don't think a monster is able to love, or be sorry, Tzuyu. And since you're doing both, you're not a monster." Dahyun tossed and turned until she found a comfortable position. "I should know, since you're in my head" said the younger girl. She fell asleep with no response from the sea goddess. 

Dahyun woke up the next day with her heart fuller than she ever thought it could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished this chapter, it was so hard to find time to write in between weekend events   
>  Hope it's to your liking!
> 
> Three more chapters to go, stay onboard!!!
> 
> Let me know what you think


	16. Kairos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fate is in their hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy end of January guys! 
> 
> Rightfully, this is the longest chapter for this fic. 
> 
> As always, comments and criticisms welcome.

Jeongyeon stands at an expanse under the earth.

"This is the valley of gods and mortals" says the woman, her white robes trailing behind her as she walks further into the expanse. "The very core of the earth." 

Jeongyeon walks after the woman, wading in what seems to be a multitude of glowing strings. They writhe like snakes around her shins, constantly in motion. They glow in the darkness, coloring the woman's robes an iridescent hue like auroras in the night sky.

They head towards some lights in the distance, colored cords revealing themselves as they approach. A weak glow emanates from a golden cord that dangles from the sky, darkness enveloping it before it ends. The cord is as thick as Jeongyeon's waist, pulled taut to the ground by a tangle of red strings reaching from the earth. The red strings invade strands of the cord like a virus, bleeding into its fibers. 

The two colors mix, branching off into gold and red strands that tangle into loose, black strings. The gold and red strands dangle the numerous black strings around the cord like willow leaves off branches.

Beside the golden cord was a peach string with Japanese characters, stretched from floor to ceiling by the same red string. Burn marks weave through the string causing it to fray.

Off in the distance is a blue cord dangling from the sky, thick as a tree trunk and visible from afar. Both of its ends connected to the darkness above, forming a bow that pointed to the earth. A lone white string entwined itself around the blue cord, both its ends still on the ground. The blue cord is radiant in its glow.

The woman captures Jeongyeon's attention with the flick of a wrist, a red string wrapping tenderly around the mortal's wrist. Jeongyeon is led towards the golden cord, her feet wading through the luminescent strings.

"This is the cord of Nayeon, whom you have seen in your visions." The goddess lifts the palm of her right hand upwards, catching some of the black strings that hang from the golden cord. She sorts through them with deft fingers, each string dangling limply. Each black string has text written on them, in different languages and characters.

Jeongyeon inspects the strings that snake around her ankles, each one humming with energy. Each one has white text, some in Hangul, others in what look like Japanese. 

Jeongyeon lifts one string up from the ground. The beige string is long, longer than what Jeongyeon can pull above the ground, with both ends still connected to the earth. In Hangul, the name on the string reads "Park Song Won".

A snap echoes through the expanse. In Jeongyeon's hands the beige string fades to black then detaches from the ground. She drops it into the mass of writhing strings underneath.

"That man, Park Song Won, has passed away at the age of 84." Says the woman, beckoning for Jeongyeon to come closer. 

"Each string that touches the earth is bound by the rules of the earth. Mortality is the first rule of all."

"What about those strings that connect heaven and earth?" asks Jeongyeon. 

The goddess looks at the three cords, returning her gaze to Jeongyeon. "They are trapped between heaven and earth, both gods and mortals." She brings Jeongyeon to the golden cord. "This one is Nayeon, a goddess cursed to roam the earth for the crime she has done because of you."

Flowers in her hair, and a smile on her face. Visions.

"Jeongyeon, you were once the head maiden of the Omo-nim, the goddess of the earth." Omo-nim gestures to herself, red strings like flames licking the ends of her robes. "You were a symbol of my own power, and you caught the eye of my daughter."

The string wraps around Jeongyeon's wrist before it unravels and retracts itself. "She begged me for you" continues the earth goddess, "over forty days and nights, flooding the earth with her tears. Then, when I finally hand you over I learn that you have been seduced by Nayeon, marked by her vines."

Jeongyeon's mind fills with visions as the earth goddess continues her tirade. 

Im Nayeon, a smile on her face and flowers in her hair. Fields of wheat, a summer day. Laughter that filled the sky, caresses that brought warmth to cold evenings. Tender hands that held her own. A mark of love over her heart.

"That goddess bastardizes my temple and my head maiden, expecting to be pardoned by my own husband, Apo-nim." The goddess walks towards Nayeon's cord, the red strings parting the way for her to walk.

The soil under her feet is dark as blood.

"And here you are again, the perfect reincarnation of my favored maiden." Omo-nim gestures to one of the loose ends of Nayeon's cord, tracing how it tangled into a green-colored string that was still attached to the earth. "Tangled again in her grasp." She turns the string in her palms until the Hangul characters for Jeongyeon's name is revealed. 

The red-gold cord is tightly woven around her own string, colors like a Christmas tree.

To cut one was to cut both.

Omo-nim steps away from Jeongyeon's string, letting it fall beside Nayeon's cord. "Severing the string connecting you to the earth will sever the string of Nayeon's curse. Once the red string is cut, it will follow that the curse will let Nayeon go." From her sleeve, she pulls a pair of ivory scissors in the shape of a crane. "But only you can cut your own string, by the scissors of Apo-nim himself."

Jeongyeon watches as Omo-nim approaches her. The goddess' face is gentle, like a mother speaking to her child. "The choice you have is this: By cutting the string, you will cut your bond from both Nayeon and the curse." Her smile is pensive. "You will die, but Nayeon will be free from the curse that ties her down."

The earth goddess stretches out her hand with the ivory scissors. Hesitantly, Jeongyeon accepts it. 

The blade is cool and heavy in her hands. On the handle, in the eye of the crane is an insignia. The sun and the moon in balance.

She approaches the cord of Nayeon, tracing with her eyes the red strings that bled into the strands of the golden column. The very same red strings that surrounded the earth goddess. 

The peach string at a distance catches Jeongyeon's eyes, drawing to mind thoughts of Momo.

"Can't the red strings be cut?" The words escape Jeongyeon's lips dry, the first time she speaks to the goddess.

Omo-nim responds with a wry smile. "Try."

Jeongyeon crouches to the earth, taking one red string in her hand. As she brings the scissors closer, the blade glows white-hot in her hands. She drops the scissors it before it burns her fingertips. Jeongyeon looks at the goddess, as she picks up the blade.

"These scissors are imbued with the power of the heavens themselves, doing only as Apo-nim dictates. You cannot cut any string except your own."

Omo-nim's face is still, like a porcelain doll. It stirs something in the pit of Jeongyeon's stomach, a vague memory of fire. 

Jeongyeon feels the blade heavy in her hands, steadying herself with breaths before she speaks again.

"Why not cut it yourself? Aren't these red strings your own?" Jeongyeon holds her gaze to Omo-nim, searching the goddess for any sign or clue of her true emotions.

The goddess laughs, its sound carrying across the expanse like an echo of bells. It is music to Jeongyeon's ears.

"I was right to have burned you then, my temple maiden."

From underneath, red strings grasp at Jeongyeon's wrists, pulling her to the ground. They shoot up, wrapping themselves around her neck and shins. They are hot like boiling water, singeing the skin through her clothes.

Jeongyeon screams, her knees collapsing. Her windpipe is constricted by the mass of burning red string. She struggles to no avail.

"You, I give you a chance to atone for your sins against me, and here you are just as disobedient as you were back then, as disloyal to me." From the ground, she sees the face of Omo-nim twist, contorting grotesquely. Red strings writhed around the goddess. "I will settle for tearing you apart limb from limb, your corpse as my gift to the goddess you love so much."

Jeongyeon grasps at the strings that choke her, more strings trying to pry her wrists away from her neck. She can't breathe, burning and suffocation overwhelming her thoughts.

"You could have lived forever, Jeong Yeon. I would have given you all the riches of the world." The goddess walks towards her, white feet visible on the blood red soil. "You were mine from the beginning. Even in death, you are mine."

"You don't own me!" cries out Jeongyeon from the ground, voice strained with effort.

The last thing she sees is the harrowing gaze of the earth goddess before a flash of blue light overwhelms her eyes.

A tall woman in white robes tackles the earth goddess with the force of a missile. The red strings slacken, and Jeongyeon ricochets from the impact. She falls off to the side of the golden cord, coughing as fresh air enters her lungs.

"Enough, mother! You cannot win" shouts the tall woman as she points her trident to the earth goddess. She launches herself to Omo-nim, her weapon clashing with red strings. Blue light flashes at every swing, sending shockwaves across the expanse.

Jeongyeon crawls onto her knees, body shaking from the effort. Her limbs burn with pain, skin singed in lash-like patterns. Her hands shake as they grip tightly onto the scissors. Her eyesight blurs through tears.

Nayeon.

Like a dream, Nayeon appears in a flash of violet light. She lands on the strings silently, absorbing the fall with her knees. "Jeongyeon, where is the blade of Apo-nim?" 

The goddess smiles a tender smile, her long brown hair tumbling down her shoulders. She still wears the same black and white suit, fitting her slim figure perfectly.

Just like that, Jeongyeon sees Im Nayeon, a smile on her face and flowers in her hair. Fields of wheat on a summer day. Echoes of a life they no longer have.

The vines on Jeongyeon's chest feel warm at the proximity.

"Nayeon! Quickly!" The tall woman yells from afar as she pushes the earth goddess to the ground. Jeongyeon sees red string pulling at the tall woman's limbs, attempting to pry her off Omo-nim.

Jeongyeon quickly shoves the pair of scissors into Nayeon's hands, careful not to let their fingertips touch. She hisses in pain, the burns on her skin stretching with her every movement. "Go!" She yells.

Nayeon gazes into Jeongyeon's eyes, softly then with strength. The pair of scissors glow in the goddess' hands, extending as it emits a blinding light. 

The cursed goddess grips the ivory blade in her two hands, lifting it overhead as she leaps toward the golden cord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more update left. I'm not crying, you are.
> 
> Let me know what you think.


	17. Interlude - Halcyon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before it all started

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Jihyo day guys!!!
> 
> 1/2 update left stay tuned

The hand is warm and tender, enveloping Jeong Yeon's own.

A woman with long brown hair lies in a field of wheat, the summer wind rustling through the harvest. Her hair is a halo around her, flowers weaved into them like stars in the night aky. She is dressed in white robes, lazy vines of ivy and pumpkin tangled into her limbs and clothes as she rests among the stalks of wheat.

This is truly heaven, thinks Jeong Yeon as she squeezes Nayeon-nim's hand.

"I love that it is always bright with sunlight here" mentions the goddess as she shifts to face Jeong Yeon. "By tomorrow, it will have rained for forty days in the mortal realm."

The summer sun caresses the goddess' cheek, her skin golden in the light. 

Nayeon sits up, hand still entwined in Jeong Yeon's. She sings in a lilting voice, a melody that carries itself across the wind. The stalks of wheat rustle in chorus, birds and beasts pausing to listen.

Love stills all things, enraptures all things.

The mark over Jeong Yeon's heart glows warm as she plants a kiss on the goddess' cheek. Their hands remain clasped together.


	18. Onwards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The month after Nayeon cuts her cord.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2/2!!!!!!
> 
> Comments and criticisms are welcome as always

Jeongyeon glances around the black and white office, packing the last of Nayeon's belongings in a brown box that sticks out amongst the monochrome. The interior design is still powerful and arresting, even without the main piece.

There wasn't much to pack, only a handful of files, a glass jar of wilted mint leaves, and two clay jars of water by the large window.

She winces as she stretches her wrist too far, raw pain of burned skin against bandages. She adjusts her posture, careful not to twist the gauze wrapped around her neck, arms, and shins. Carefully, she seals the box shut with packing tape 

The bandages are a part of her life now, a habit formed a month after the incident. 

So are the visions that now reside in her mind as memories. Just the other day Jihyo caught Jeongyeon speaking like an old woman, using archaic language for things as simple as filing a report. 

It had been hard to convince Jihyo that Jeongyeon was really okay, a freak accident resulting in second degree burns on each of her limbs. "Jeongyeon-ah," said her coworker after her first day at the hospital, "I'm never letting you near a curling iron ever again."

Jeongyeon could only snort.

Her reflection on the large window is gaunt, weeks of lost appetite evident in her sunken cheeks. Her dark hair is a couple of inches longer, now dusting the shoulders of her boxy blouse.

"I told you not to manage her belongings by yourself, Jeongyeon" Momo calls from the door. The Japanese woman leans to the side, resting the side of her body on the doorframe. Her black blouse left her shoulders bare, now revealing unblemished and unmarked skin.

Momo makes her way to the box, hoisting it with little effort. Vines grow from the pockets of her jeans, wrapping themselves around the box. Momo lets go, leaving the vines to carry the heavy box.

"It's true, huh, you're the new goddess of love." Jeongyeon touches a vine.

"Yes. When Nayeon-nim cut the cord that connected her to the heavens, it created an imbalance that had to be fixed." Momo's hands glow a faint peach, then fade just as quickly. "That much we expected when we formed the strategy against Omo-nim."

Jeongyeon shudders at the mention of the earth goddess. 

Seeing the discomfort on Jeongyeon's face, Momo laughs. "It is okay now, Jeongyeon. She is sealed under the earth. Nayeon-nim's sacrifice caught the attention of Apo-nim, and he-"

"Please stop repeating that" says Jeongyeon.

Momo quiets as they leave the office. The two women walk through the halls of the top floor of the Yeosin Fashion Frontier. Momo's pace is slow, matching Jeongyeon's burdened steps.

They enter the elevator in silence, Momo setting the box down on the floor. Jeongyeon pushes the button for the ground floor.

"I'm sorry, Momo." Jeongyeon looks at the Japanese woman. 

"Why are you sorry?" The elevator closes before it descends.

"For how everything happened, what you will go through." Momo's gaze meets hers, tender, wistful, and forlorn.

"It is alright, Jeongyeon. Tzuyu-nim can accompany where Nayeon-nim can no longer." Momo adjusts the box by her feet. "In fact, it could have been so much worse. We were expecting her to disappear entirely."

Jeongyeon holds her gaze. "Can you handle it, Momo? Living long after she's gone?"

Momo smiles. "This is the happiest I have ever seen her, Jeongyeon. And I have seen her for a long time." She holds Jeongyeon on one shoulder before the elevator doors open. 

There stands a woman by the glass doors of the building, long brown hair like a waterfall over one shoulder. No longer dressed in a suit, she wears a sleeveless blouse and beige shorts complete with dark brown sandals. Gone are the marks that she bore for millennia, as if they were never there.

The woman no longer wears flowers in her hair, but has the same bright smile that dances in Jeongyeon's memories even now.

Nayeon's hand reaches for hers, fingers clasped together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it guys, the end.
> 
> I'm glad to finally have finished this, ultimately an experiment in using a pinch of words to tell a big big story.
> 
> Shout out to glennguin for the engaging comments and the support! Your questions inspired me to keep on writing so I can answer them.
> 
> Let me know what you think.


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